There have been countless examples of non-Latino producers and musicians embracing
Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music, but Mexican music is one area of
Latin music that -- generally speaking -- hasn't received as much attention from non-Latinos. Many non-Latinos who know all about Cuba's
Celia Cruz or Brazil's
Astrud Gilberto couldn't tell you anything about the legacies of
La Banda el Recodo,
Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan,
Jose Alfredo Jimenez, or
Lola Beltran. But Mexico has a rich musical heritage -- every bit as rich as Brazil or Cuba -- and producer/engineer
Stefan Winter (of Munich, Germany's
Winter & Winter label) and colleagues
Andres Mayo and
Mariko Takahashi set out to capture that richness when, in March 2004, they visited Mexico to document local singers and musicians. Those sessions resulted in
Cuadernos de Mexico, an engaging three-CD set that spotlights
traditional Mexican music in its most raw, earthy, and basic state. This is not a collection of modern
banda,
norteno,
grupero, or
Tejano stars who record for
Univision-affiliated labels; most of these acoustic performances (which were recorded in Mexico City as well as more rural parts of Mexico) favor a very stripped-down approach -- what one hears from singer
Susana Harp (who served as the project's artistic advisor),
Los Caminantes,
Duo Xavizende,
Son de Madera, and others is arguably a Mexican equivalent of Mississippi
Delta blues, early Appalachian
bluegrass, and Cuba's early
soneros (the guajiros who played
son in small duos and trios before
Beny More and others brought
Afro-Cuban rhythms to large dance orchestras). Full of Mexican standards like
"La Bamba," "Cielito Lindo," and
Agustin Lara's
"Maria Bonita," Cuadernos de Mexico often becomes a celebration of Mexico's long musical history -- and it's a collection that lovers of
Latin roots music should make a point of obtaining. ~ Alex Henderson
